Interstate 10 in Texas


Interstate 10 is the major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. In the U.S. state of Texas, it runs east from Anthony, at the border with New Mexico, through El Paso, San Antonio, and Houston to the border with Louisiana in Orange. At just under, the Texas segment of I-10, maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation, is the longest continuous untolled freeway in North America that is operated by a single authority. It is also the longest stretch of Interstate Highway with a single designation within a single state. Mile marker 880 and its corresponding exit number in Orange, Texas, are the highest-numbered mile marker and exit on any freeway in North America. Since widening was completed in 2008, a portion of the highway west of Houston is now also believed to be the widest in the world, at 26 lanes when including feeders.
More than a third of I-10's length is located in Texas alone. El Paso, near the New Mexico state line, is from the western terminus of I-10 in Santa Monica, California, making it closer to Los Angeles than it is to Orange, Texas, away at the Louisiana state line. Likewise, Orange is only from the eastern terminus of I-10 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Route description

West Texas

I-10 enters Texas northwest of El Paso near Anthony and runs southward, alongside US Route 85 and US 180. US 85 splits off in West El Paso at exit 13, where US 85 heads south on Paisano Drive, through downtown El Paso, and ends at the Stanton Street Bridge and the border with Mexico via local streets. As of the summer of 2016, the stretch of I-10 that runs through El Paso was in the midst of a major construction project, which sought to link North/South Desert Boulevard with Gateway East and Gateway West. Several miles of frontage road were being built where none previously existed. I-10/US 180 continues turning to the east towards downtown El Paso. I-10 then meets I-110 and US 54 in a complex, three-level interchange referred to by locals as the "Spaghetti Bowl". I-10 and US 180 diverge east of downtown at exit 23B as US 180 heads northeast and I-10 to the southeast. I-10's frontage-road system is called Desert Boulevard where it runs through West El Paso, and Gateway Boulevard where it runs through Central and East El Paso. Among these stretches of the highway. Gateway East Boulevard is the longest, extending continuously for roughly. Continuing towards Tornillo and Fabens, I-10 turns to the southeast and runs alongside the Rio Grande and the Mexican border for approximately.
Where I-10 leaves the Rio Grande, it runs primarily eastward. Just before entering the city of Van Horn, at the border of Hudspeth and Culberson counties, I-10 leaves the Mountain Time Zone and enters the Central Time Zone. Just east of Kent, the western terminus of I-20 intersects with I-10. I-20 heads northeast towards the Dallas–Fort Worth area, and I-10 continues to run eastward. US 67 runs alongside I-10 for a stretch; La Entrada al Pacifico trade corridor is a part of this stretch of I-10. Near Junction, I-10 begins a more southeastwardly course as it runs toward the San Antonio metropolitan area. Near Comfort, I-10 and US 87 begin to run alongside each other until they reach San Antonio.
Because I-10 crosses some of the most rural and sparsely inhabited parts of the United States, notably the Trans-Pecos Region, it has several unique features that differentiate it from other interstate highways. I-10 is one of the very few interstates that has exceptions in Interstate Highway Standards where there are at-grade intersections. These are private-access roads, and are found over a limited stretch in western Texas. These are also found on I-40 in the Texas Panhandle.
The stretch from Kerr County to El Paso County has an speed limit, which was the highest in the nation until the opening of the southern section of Texas State Highway 130 on October 24, 2012.

San Antonio and Central Texas

I-10 is the busiest freeway in San Antonio, with nearly 200,000 vehicles on an average day. On the northwest side, I-10 is known as the McDermott Freeway, named after Robert F. McDermott, former dean of the United States Air Force Academy as well as CEO of San Antonio-based USAA. The highway enters the city concurrently with US 87 from the north and travels more in a north–south direction into downtown, rather than the east–west designation found on the Interstate Highway signs. The section of I-10 from Ralph Fair Road to La Cantera Parkway includes HOV lanes for both directions. The northern section from Loop 1604 to downtown serves one of the fastest growing areas of the city. A majority of the region's suburban office space is located along the corridor as are the headquarters for USAA, gasoline refiner and retailer Valero, South Texas Medical Center, the University of Texas at San Antonio, Six Flags Fiesta Texas, and the Shops at La Cantera. I-10 intersects I-410 for the first time near Balcones Heights, a suburban city within San Antonio. The construction of a four-level interchange to accommodate the growing northwest side has been completed. Heavy commercial development dominates the landscape between I-410 and Loop 1604. Inside I-410, the route is lined with light industrial and residential areas.
As I-10 heads south into downtown, it splits into an upper level with three lanes in each direction and a lower level with two lanes in each direction. It was necessary to design the freeway this way in order to accommodate the amount of traffic heading into downtown and to fit into the narrow corridor that was surrounded by existing infrastructure. I-10 meets I-35 on the northwest side of downtown and it overlaps I-35 south to form the west side of the downtown loop. The I-35 exit numbers are carried through during the concurrency. I-10 and I-35 end their concurrency at a four-level interchange on the southwest side of downtown with the junction of US 90 from the west. I-35 continues to the south and I-10 and US 90 run concurrently to the east to form the south side of the downtown loop. This section of I-10 is known as the Jose Lopez Freeway, named after the Medal of Honor recipient. A four-level interchange with I-37 occurs approximately east of the interchange with I-35. I-10 heads east away from downtown through mainly residential neighborhoods on the east side of San Antonio. I-10's concurrency with US 87 ends just east of downtown where US 87 heads south towards Victoria. Leaving San Antonio, I-10 again passes I-410 and Loop 1604. I-10 is known as the 90th Infantry Division Memorial Highway on this stretch east of San Antonio. I-10 and US 90 continue their concurrency until they diverge in Seguin. They continue from there on to Houston nearly paralleling each other with short stints of overlaps along the route.

Houston and East Texas

From the western suburb of Katy to downtown, I-10 is known as the Katy Freeway in Houston. This section was widened in 2008 to as many as 26 total lanes, counting the six lanes of the access road, which feature traffic signals, and driveway access and are not limited-access and therefore not technically part of the freeway itself but are directly adjacent. Between the West Beltway and the West Loop, the Katy Freeway features a basic configuration of 14 lanes, featuring seven lanes each direction. This cross-section swells with auxiliary lanes, ramp lanes, and the inclusion of the frontage access roads, although those lanes are controlled by traffic signals. Including auxiliary lanes, ramp lanes, and the access frontage roads, the minimum lane count is 22 total lanes. In this section, the width is 24 lanes at multiple locations and up to 26 lanes east of Gessner Road. From the Fort Bend County line to I-610, there is a minimum of four main lanes in each direction. The maximum number of undivided lanes at any point on the freeway is nine in the eastbound direction approaching Antoine Drive ; this is one of the widest sections of undivided highway in a single direction in the world. The widest right-of-way,, occurs at the Katy Freeway's intersection with Bunker Hill; at that point, the expansion plans called for six main lanes plus two toll lanes in each direction along with 10 lanes on the feeder/frontage roads. While this section still features 14 through continuous lanes through the Bunker Hill interchange, when auxiliary lanes, ramp lanes, and the frontage access roads are included, the actual striping after construction delineates 29 lanes, including all 26 of the planned lanes plus an additional lane in each direction to enter or exit the toll lanes and one more turn lane on the eastbound feeder road. Between Texas State Highway 6 and Interstate 610, I-10 HOV/HOT lanes are known as Katy Managed Lanes, or simply known as Katy Tollway.
Between I-610 and I-45 west of downtown, the interstate contains at least five main lanes in each direction. Before 2008, this section had traditionally been the widest section of I-10 in the Houston area and the only one with a significant portion below grade. A project completed in 2014 added one extra auxiliary lane in each direction between Shepherd Drive and Taylor Street. In addition, the eastbound feeder road that ends at Studemont was extended to Taylor Street. As I-10 travels through downtown, it junctions with I-45 and I-69/US 59. Both interchanges feature left exits, allowing several lane shifts for through traffic. I-10 provides access to Daikin Park, home of the Houston Astros, and also runs through the campus of the University of Houston–Downtown.
The section east of downtown Houston is officially known as the "East Freeway", although it is widely known by locals as the Baytown East Freeway or colloquially shortened to the Beast, due to a marketing push by Baytown, one of the largest cities in the Greater Houston Area. I-10 reaches Beaumont at an interchange with US 69/US 96/US 287 and it runs concurrently with the US Highways for and curves to the east again at a second interchange. At College Street, I-10 expands to eight lanes. I-10 meets US 90 again near the recently reconstructed Purple Heart Memorial Bridge over the Neches River; these highways travel concurrently the remainder of the way across the state. I-10 reaches Orange County and passes through the towns of Rose City, Vidor, Pinehurst, and Orange. Business US 90-Y splits off and comes back to I-10 near the Sabine River Bridge over the Sabine River. At the river, I-10 finally leaves Texas and crosses into Louisiana.